Villagers petition against more houses

Published:14:27Monday 19 June 2017

A petition launched last week against proposals for 123 new houses in Newtonhill has attracted more than 450 signatures.

Helen McGeorge, who lives in the village, contacted the Leader to explain why many residents have felt compelled to protest against the application - which, if successful, would see 123 houses and eight flats built on land between Park Place and Cairnhill Drive at Newtonhill.

Helen said: “After accepting the building of thousands of new houses at Chapleton we were told there would be no need for any additional houses around Newtonhill. Yet, here we are.

“There are countless reasons why this shouldn’t go ahead. Firstly, we don’t need anymore. There are numerous existing residential properties for sale on ASPC, some of which have been for sale for well over a year. These are a mix of 2/3/4 and 5 bedroom houses. We run the risk of building new houses, while existing properties in the village remain empty. House building at nearby Chapelton is slow, with no sign of any increase in demand for the houses demonstrating how we really don’t need anymore in the area.

“If we let this go ahead, when will it stop? Eventually we will end up with all the area between Newtonhill and Muchalls being filled with houses, joining the two villages together into one big one. There’s already little space between the two now, and so it wouldn’t take many more houses to connect the two.

“Thirdly, local schools are already struggling and more houses will just be unnecessary added pressure. The school at Chapleton is a long way off and so all children who have moved or will move into those new houses are already adding extra pressure to the local schools.

“There is also no traffic management controls outlined in the plans. An increase in traffic will have an impact on Park Place and the streets accessed off Park Place making the area very congested with the extra traffic.

“Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the area is a lovely spot for all the village to enjoy and look at the lovely views it has to offer and we simply do not want this to be ruined for no good reason. The area is a lovely place for wildlife, including foxes, deer, owls, and rabbits. It is also used by dog walkers, youngsters camping and a general escape to the ‘countryside’ within a very short walk to the main part of the village.”

To view the petition visit: www.change.org/p/aberdeenshire-council-no-moor-houses